The Path to Tactics
by Aurore-du-Matin
Summary: Alex is a successful doctor. She's smart, but also was bullied and never got over it. Laking of self-confidence she lives her life as she can while sometimes facing depression. Everything changes when she goes to her best friend's star wars themed wedding. Maybe getting into the actual star wars universe could help. Meeting a blue Admiral too. So, Rebel or Imperial? OCInsert
1. 1-I don't want to be a death trooper!

A/N: Hi ! So I am not a native english speaker so I am doing this to practice a bit !

This fic will not 100% serious but there will still be mentions of depression and probably of suicide. Just to warn. I am not really used to write in english so I may screw a bit. I do apoligize for the mistakes that are going to be in this fiction. And there is going to be a bit of swearing, so rating T.

So only mentions of the star wars univers and Thrawn in this first chapter, but there will be more in the next one.

Also, first chapters are not my cup of tea. Usually, the following chapters tend to get better so I won't hate you if you just jump ahead.

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Chapter 1 - I don't want to be a Death Trooper... I want to be a Grand Amiral

* * *

_"All horse-riders just suck. Have you seen them? I mean, they are just effing ridiculous."_

_"But... I... I am a horse rider..."_

_"Then you just are like all the others."_

_And they all laughed..._

_" How could you do that? That's just so unfair! But you know what? You failed, girl: she can't do anything, that stupid assistant. What did you expect? That she'll put us all in detention? She can't put a whole class in detention, you silly."_

_" But..."_

_" Shut up. Nathan didn't do anything, you just said that so you could get away with it. But guess what, genius? No one believes you. No one ever did."_

_I am pretty sure I cried after that..._

_"Going to the bathroom, you scum? "_

_"How can you even still be here? You should be ashamed of yourself, that was a very low blow."_

_"Yeah... But everyone in this school knows you are just a piece of shit."_

_Maybe they are right..._

_Maybe I am just a piece of shit..._

* * *

_OH. That was just another nightmare... It felt so real... Again..._

* * *

"Yeah," I thought while taking my grey coat of the coat hanger. "That was just another boring day..."

Swiftly taking my bag and other belongings, I exited the lab where I was working. A prestigious medical lab where I was spending approximately forty percent of my life. Another forty percent was spent in the hospital I was consulting in. That left around twenty percent : that part was shared between public transports, basic needs like sleeping, while what stayed was usually used to read fanfiction or books, watching movies and just watching the night sky while rewriting my favourite scenes while including an Original Character that usually represented me in some way, like any proper fangirl had at least done once in her life.

Some other days, I was just going to a con or doing a quick city tour if it was my first week in a new city or country.

Or at least, that's all that happened usually around nine-ten months a year, when I didn't have my seasonal depression.

Yup, in case you hadn't noticed, I am a quite successful doctor (or at least enough to travel all around the world, being invited in some schools, labs or hospitals) single (even though I am still quite young, that will probably never change, 'cause really guys, who would like to put up with a doctor-fangirl-that traveled too much and never stayed in the same country more than six months, like me ?), also emotionally unstable, and former gifted child. Oh, I forgot, former bullied child with a huge lack of self-confidence and that never got over it.

Yeah, I know, from this point, I am kind of a failure.

I hadn't been bullied for a really long time, and never physically. It was all in the head. Maybe that's why my parents didn't get the thing. I was younger, naive and probably not really used to live in society. It lasted one year and a half.

It had been worse than Hell.

I am pretty sure you don't actually care. You arrived here by mere luck and don't really care, I am sure.

Anyway, you don't risk anything, I've been taking my medication. And reading again Thrawn's journal. That was one thing that kept me moving along with the antidepressant. I don't know, I just find it highly inspiring. I am pretty sure I could even quote it :

"One is born with a unique set of talents and abilities." I tried, remembering chapter 14. "One must choose which of talents to nurture, which to set aside for a time, which to ignore completely..."

"Sure Alex, "Said a voice behind my back as I arrived at the train station."It would have been a good idea if you had done just that. But you couldn't, could you ?"

"Olivia !" I ran to her. It had been quite a time since I had last seen her. Two years. Three years. Maybe more. After all, I had just come back from England, where I had been working on a project to help the recovery of patients that just had had surgery. "Oh, girl, I missed you so much! How are your studies going ?"

"Wow, girl, you've been away for really long, so I guess I can't blame you. But still, with your genius level intellect..."

"Stop That," I growled, which was never a good sign. But I guess she just ignored it.

" ... I thought you would have remembered that they finished two years ago."

I stopped right on my tracks. Oh, come on. What kind of friend was I?

"Shit, sorry Olivia, I must have lost track of time." I apologized sincerely.

"Yeah," She said. "And I guess you lost track of time the same way the invitation for my wedding lost itself somewhere between America and Britain ?"

My face turned pale. Oh, come on. Not that too! No no NO NO! That was bad... How had the bloody thing never found its way to me ?!

"Hey, I was just joking. Really, Alex... Alexandra! Breath, please. It's tomorrow, so you're not too late. Seems like you came back to Paris just on time..."

Had I mentioned that I probably was the most stressed person in the world? Well, now I did. I started breathing again, realizing that I had been holding my breath. I had started to hyperventilate. Again. Olivia led me to a bench where we sat down. I quickly looked around us :

"Look, you are my best friend. We went through a lot together. I am not mad at you. But maybe... Well you know... We are always seeing you on TV or something like that and... You look even more tired each time we meet you again. You are doing way too many things. I may not be the doc here, doc, but you really should rest."

"Can't" I mumbled. "Too many things to do."

"That's the issue, you see. You've always been good at nearly everything! And before you start whining, yes I know you are not in your good ...months, but still, that's no excuse. We both know the truth, you are smarter than others. You have some skills like Thrawn would say. But instead of doing what he suggests, you tried to stay good at everything. No offense, but it is not possible, even for you, sugar. Like your favorite blue guy would say: Sometimes the choice is obvious. Other times, the hints and proddings are more obscure."

"Alright," I sighed, not wanting to fight about this the day before her wedding." I'll try."

Olivia gave me a sharp look with her green eyes. Then she sighed, not really believing me.

"Here, give me your number. I'll send you a text with the address. Promise me you'll come."

"Why do I feel like I have something to fear if I promise ?"

I didn't like her tone at all.

"Just promise !" She said a playful light in the eyes.

"Right, you won, I promise. But if we had been in America, I would have sued the post for not delivering that stupid piece of paper and having me being in such a ridiculous situation... So, what's the deal ?"

"It is a Star Wars themed wedding." Oh, gosh, I hated that smile. But the worst was to come. "You have to come cosplayed. And you can't come in Grand Admiral."

Oh, no. No way. The only cosplay I had besides that was an old death trooper cosplay. I hated it.

"You sure? After all there were twelve Grand Admirals so... Please I don't want to be a death trooper. I want to be a Grand Admiral."

"No Way. No Grand Admiral, already taken."

Too bad I had promised. Couldn't go back now. Well, damn it.

"I hate you, right now, you know ? Just tell me who is taking my favorite cosplay away so I can kill him with my bloody old E-11 blaster riffle."

"Don't you have anything better to do?" She sighed.

"No. And don't think I'll apologize."

"No apologize required, agent. After all, I am sure we will still spend a great time together. Dismissed."

"Oh, go to hell, Olivia."


	2. 2- I am not meant for social encounters

A/N: Hi ! So still not a native english speaker and this isn't mine.

So I am not quite sure what I want to this with this fic. Sure It'll go AU and maybe even a bit OOC, but that remains to be seen. At the end of the chapter, Alexandra finally gets into the Star Wars Universe.

And for everyone finding her behavior weird, I swear there are people that actually behave like that.

Right, enough, I am shutting up.

Hope you'll still enjoy it

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Chapter 2 - I am not really meant for social encounters…

* * *

Had there been a Thrawn fan-club in Paris, Olivia and I would have had a lifetime membership card. Oddly enough, we had never found one in our hometown. So we had to go with a simple Star Wars fan-club, by meeting people during a sci-fi con. They quickly grew tired of us only speaking about how Thrawn had gotten rid of Ackbar in Dark Force Rising. So we started reading all the books from the, now, Legends universe. I admit I was still talking a lot about Thrawn. Sorry, I was not going to lock my Childhood hero into a cupboard and never open it again any soon. Funnily enough, I had a short holiday in Paris the year Disney bought Lucasfilm. We all met again and I must say I lost my self-control: ok, some stories in the Extended Universe weren't incredible, but they were going to change them all in not canon!

No more Thrawn, no more Chiss, no more Mara Jade, no more C'Baoth... Yeah, maybe I was a bit too much addicted to the Heir of the Empire Trilogy. Still can't believe they had translated that in French by ... Wait a minute for me to translate... Ah, got it: "The Dark Crusade of the Mad Jedi". I mean, really? Who was the true Hero... I mean anti-hero... I mean antagonist in this trilogy? Well, I don't know. Maybe French people are too stupid to understand the fact that a blue-skinned guy with red glowing eyes was becoming the heir of Papy Palpy's all mighty Empire. One thing is sure, they were probably stupid enough not to complain if the translators named the Trilogy after a rogue clone Jedi that didn't appear until nearly half of the first book. Right, I am maybe, probably, going to far. But that's just to make my point.

When the new Thrawn book came out, I still bought it. And I loved it. I had already been doing some weird kind of victory dance when I had seen Thrawn on Rebels, but that book became something quite dear to me. And I am going to admit it, I prefer Thrawn with this new alien-like face because it made him look different and at the same time still human-like. And even though he looked different, he was still better than others, and at the same time respected by the others...

Sorry, I guess I just started again.

My point (because yes, I had a point when starting this), was to say that there was a day where I knew by heart the whole Star Wars Universe, at a point where it was even ridiculous. Then, with all the studies, papers, patients, I had lost a bit of my knowledge to store more... Let's say practical stuff. But still. I was able to recognize nearly all of the cosplays that were worn at the wedding.

And, by George Lucas !, What was I doing here?

To quickly sum up, we had one alderaanian Princess Leia, one Mon Mothma, a few girls and guys from the rebellion, an Emperor, an Admiral Ackbar (that was John, the Star Wars fan-club head, and one of Olivia's best friends), a few buck heads, a Nahdonnis Praji, a general Veers...

For a second I looked around, trying to see if they were any people not cosplayed. Then I realized it wouldn't happen, as Olivia wasn't speaking with her parents anymore, and that Sam's parents were living at the other side of the globe. They would have been the only ones allowed not to disguise themselves.

"Hey, is it possible? Our world-class doctor has time to visit us! It's been a while Grand Admiral. Or should I say trooper, now that you've been degraded?"

The voice behind me made me jump. I suddenly found myself facing Admiral Ackbar's face. Or should I say John's one? Not sure how to put it anymore. But I couldn't believe he was still calling me "Grand Admiral". That had been an inside joke because I had a big "Sherlock Holmes period" when I became a "Young adult" and started to learn how to deduce things like Sherlock. Stupid, you think? Yeah, probably. But I wanted to feel smart, somehow useful and, for once, even more different than I already was. And which character was probably inspired by Sherlock Holmes when written, was different, and was smart? If you said Thrawn than congrats! You just won three packs of dark chocolate cookies, to be fetched at the entrance of the wedding in the next three hours.

"Very funny John. Happy to see too. And I wasn't degraded, for your information, I am just being undercover."

We managed to stay serious for exactly fifty-three seconds. Then we burst out in laughter.

"Glad to see you didn't change too much," John said while weeping a tear. "It's just, you know, you look so serious on TV that it is nearly frightening. To be honest, I recorded that TV show where you just turned into ridicule that older doctor, by telling him in front of everyone that he was stupid and that he hadn't understood anything and that you were, I quote: "Right. Full stop. The End". And all that while still being polite and smiling. I would have given you right then the right to be Grand Admiral, and no one could have denied the fact that you deserved it."

"Euh, Right, Thanks. I suppose?" That was starting again. I was just being shy again. "But I am pretty sure you exaggerate it. It didn't exactly go like that. And I still regret saying that to this day... So maybe not Grand Admiral, right?"

John didn't answer. He just shrugged. I guess he was getting used to it.

Then, I saw them: the bride and groom. Olivia hadn't really changed: she had only let her hair down. She was wearing a beautiful dress, just like the ones Padme had in the movies. On his side, Sam was dressed in a white Grand Admiral uniform, posing as an unknown blond haired Admiral.

So that was why I didn't get the right to use my favorite cosplay! (besides the fact that Olivia found it tremendously funny, for some reason, to see me in death trooper attire).

From then everything went swiftly on.

Before we started eating dinner, we all had a drink in the huge garden. I quickly got bored of everything. Really, what was I doing here?

Sighting, I tried to go and see if I could help with anything. Of course, everyone told me I could not. That surprised me a bit, but I didn't say a thing. That was just looking like Olivia had told them not to let me do anything.

Starting to go back to the balcony, I noticed something that made me grind my teeth. No, that was not how you did things. Without being able to hold myself, I arranged back all the forks and knives, moved the chairs a few millimeters to the right... Seriously, the guy that had done that had not been really effective.

Then another came with the aperitifs and started putting them in random order on the table.

I don't know why, but, at that moment, I freaked out, feeling like he was ruining my best friend's wedding. I started doing everything by myself. Everything. And I don't know where, but I somehow found the self-confidence to make them leave the job to me. But then, I tripped over the carpet. I was so tired that I hadn't noticed the carpet. The sound of my body hurting the ground was quickly followed by the one of glass shattering across the room. I had broken a vase.

"ALEXANDRA!"

That was the shouting that stopped me. Literally. I couldn't make any other move and just starred in the furious green eyes that were throwing bolts of lightning at me. I didn't know what to do. I didn't understand either. That was the issue with me, I guess: I could tell you (well not exactly, but I was going to get there someday!) how to cure cancer, but I wasn't able to understand why people were acting like they were acting, or why they were mad. I had a kind of "lack of emotional maturity" as a psychologist had elegantly put it a few years ago.

So I just didn't move, looking without understanding into Olivia's furious green eyes, wondering if I had just broken her grand mother's vase or something like that. I just didn't understand what happened next.

"You just couldn't resist, could you?" She started shouting at me. "You had to decide nothing was perfect and that you had to do everything by yourself, right?" I tried to interject something, but I wasn't fast enough to. "Let me tell you something: you are a bloody control freak! That's why I didn't want you helping! If someone didn't understand why you liked the dark side so much, let me you just remind you that all the bloody control freaks go to the Dark Side. And I do not mean that as a freaking compliment! What are you trying to do, lady? Kill yourself from exhaustion? I guess that would probably fit your genius' freaking suicide attempt calendar!"

Everyone invited was now staring at us. All her shouting had left Olivia panting, while her eyes were still trying to kill me with looks. If looks had indeed ever killed someone, I would have been dead for over than a billion times.

And like a freaking idiot, I just couldn't understand. I was just seeing, feeling, how much I had disappointed her. And that she was so mad at me. And that she had called me a freak. And that I sincerely beyond to the Dark Side. My world was shaking. I had just gotten my best friend mad at me. Just as I had driven all the children that had bullied me into hating me. Because let us just be honest with one another: it has always been my fault.

"Right." I managed to say through my clenched teeth.

And I ran away. Tears were started to roll down on my cheeks. I really didn't deserve to live. How I had survived past my twenties still amazed me. It may seem childish to you, but I ran straight to the bathroom, and locked myself in, without switching the lights on. I tried to breathe. Tried to tell myself I wasn't a piece of shit deserving to die. But I was just seeing over and over again the scene that had just taken place, and couldn't help feeling guiltier and guiltier. As I tried to fight, I started feeling anger towards her. That hadn't been fair. She didn't have the bloody right to shout that to everyone. I didn't owe her anymore, and she didn't own my life. So she didn't have the right.

Anger was now flowing through my blood as pressed the light button and started looking for my phone. As soon as I got hold of it, a new text arrived. From Olivia. With thirteen texts from the others including John and Sam. I just went through Olivia's:

"So Sorry. Never should have said that. Didn't have the right at all. PLEASE don't do anything stupid. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. Come back, punch me in the face once or twice, and maybe we can just talk about it? I know it is no excuse but stress has been taking its toll on me recently. But I deserve no excuse. PLEASE just come back... I AM SO REALLY SORRY."

Anger flashed again through my blood but quickly calmed down. It wouldn't be like this was happening to me for the first time... That's why I was usually the loneliest girl in the world, avoiding at all cost social interactions. I was just hurting myself as well as everyone around me.

Suddenly, I felt a kind of weird sensation in my chest. Like if butterflies were flying inside it and trying to squeeze my heart or something. As soon as it appeared, the light bulb died, leaving me again in the dark. Well, not like it was the first time it happened to me either. I had started to call those things "glitches" as they started happening more and more often and I couldn't control them.

I cursed.

My phone had disappeared! I was pretty sure it had been there, a few seconds ago!

In the end, I never found it and left to go wash my hands. Oddly enough, I didn't find weird or strange that the bathroom looked like the one of a spaceship.

A second later, as I exited the bathroom, I found myself staring down the barrel of a rebel blaster rifle. I managed to blink once or twice before dropping:

"Shit, this isn't Olivia and Sam's wedding anymore, is it ?"


	3. 3- I am not from the Empire! Yet

A/N: Hi! So still not a native English speaker and this still isn't mine. Except for the OCs.

And I can't believe people are really reading this. I am just writing it to practice a bit.

As for the review I got, I am not sure how to take it… So I'll say thank you for leaving it anyway, and thanks for helping me learn a new word. Sure, none of the characters had been really fun at that point, but they will get better at it as time passes.

Hope you'll still enjoy it ! And, reviews are gold, you might even teach me a few other words!

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Chapter 2 - I am not really meant for social encounters…

* * *

You'll maybe want to know how I realized that it was a real blaster rifle that was pointed at me. Of course, a real blaster rifle has, actually, a lot more small buttons and precision tools than what was shown in the books and movies. Also, the metal doesn't shine under a light as plastic would do, and we happened to be right under a lamp. That and the fact that you could actually feel the difference between a real and a fake blaster.

But, that, I realized after. No, the only thing I could think of right then, was that smoke was still getting out off the barrel and that there was a faint smell of burned ... things. The rebel that was holding it had just fired, and I was pretty sure there was no stun mode on that model.

And I was still in death trooper attire. And I had asked for all the small details to be perfectly done. The only thing that would probably save me was that I wasn't wearing the helmet. Thank god I had forgotten it at home and had been late.

I quickly put my hands up.

"I am not actually from the Empire," I said in English, hoping that George Lucas being American, basic would be English, or at least sound like it.

"Which wedding?" Asked the rebel, nearly at the same moment.

We looked at each other for a second, or at least he looked at me and I tried not looking too much at the fumes getting out of his loaded blaster. And thank you, George Lucas, for being American, because Basic was indeed English. Maybe I would be able to save my skin...

"You have a death trooper suit." Just pointed out the guy. The only thing I could see was that he had blue eyes and black hair under his helmet.

"Not mine," I quickly said. Then, trying to say something to get me out of trouble, I added: "Am a bounty hunter. Got that by killing the death trooper. I've been looking for a contract for a few months. Do ya think I could try to get a job from your Alliance?"

Why did I try to take an accent? I was not good at accents! It just made me talk the same ways a purrgil would be talking if it could. I am pretty sure you wouldn't be able to understand them. Unless you are a Jedi. But how many Jedi did you still have during the Empire time? Well, not a lot.

\- Yeah... I don't really believe you. Besides, you have the worst Corellian accent I have ever heard. Stop just take your old voice back. Since when are you a fake bounty hunter?"

"Uh... Three seconds forty-four."

The way the rebel looked at me meant that he didn't understand the joke. Come on! I know it's French and that I am not that good at translating things, but really!

"So we agree you are fake?"

"Yeah. Hundred percent fake." I hurriedly agreed, the stress making me quite talkative.

The issue is that I had thought of a lot of fictions were I would get a character into the Star Wars universe. But usually, they just got their way out, either by being the best character at martial arts in the whole place, or by finding the good guys (by that, I meant either the Empire or the Alliance, both could do as long as they did not cross paths with Tarkin or Fey'lya...) and becoming best friends and just immediately being accepted into the organization. Never had a blaster been a real issue.

Had I been a bit more self-confident, I would probably have tried something by now. But I wasn't. And it was not like I had been a former military either! I didn't know anything about self-defense, martial arts, combat... I even had one of the worst physical conditions of my lab. Ok, they ran marathons, but I had still managed once to do five kilometers! True, I had fainted after, but it could have been worse.

"So how did you get on board?" Blue-eyes finally asked.

"I hitchhiked, or whatever the word is to express the fact that I got on this ship somehow."

"That could work..." He mumbled.

"So you believe I am not an Imperial stupid death trooper?"

He just shrugged and lowered slightly his blaster, still aiming at me, but not at my heart anymore. He reached for his com-link, probably to warn his superiors. But his hand never had the time to press on the button: a part of the ship just fell right between us, taking him on the ground. And for once, it wasn't my fault, I swear I hadn't glitched again!

At first, I thought he would get up but then realized a part of the pillar that had fallen had done so on his legs. What was I supposed to do? Take his blaster? Run away? Try to help him?

To be honest I was freaked out. If that thing had left the wall, that probably meant space battle. And I was pretty confident I would NEVER survive a space-battle. Even less so in a ship belonging to the Rebellion. No offense, but the only ship that always found its way out was the Falcon Millennium, and that obviously wasn't a Corellian vessel.

Maybe I could try the escape pods...? No bad idea, it would probably get destroyed by the Empire and...

What the heck was I doing? Had I already forgotten the Hippocratic Oath? I was a doctor, for the Empire's sake! I couldn't just stand like that and wait for someone to come in and kill him or something when he was obviously hurt!

Feeling a bit more secure, I took a deep breath and kneeled next to the nearly unconscious man. Medicine was my thing. I could do it.

"Hey, Blue-eyes. Can you hear me?" I calmly asked.

"My name... Not Blue-eyes." He managed to mumble.

"Maybe. But right now we don't have time. So for now, I'll call you Blue-eyes. No offense. Now, I need you to tell me if you can still feel something, anything, in your legs."

"Y...Yes. Kriff, that hurts!"

"Well, for now, we'll consider that as a good thing," I stated, taking the same emotionless voice that I usually reserved for when I was working at the hospital. At least, he hadn't damaged anything near his spine that would lead to paraplegia. "I guess you can't really move right now?" Blue-eyes just hissed in anger. "Right, so we have two solutions: either you want to stay here and tell me where I can find someone strong that will be able to take that off you without damaging further your legs, or you can let me try, and I swear I am not good at this. I can't promise you that I won't damage them in the process."

He just shook his head.

"Get over with it."

My eyes widened. Wow. That guy, either was very brave (which in this situation was a kind word to say stupid) or didn't trust me at all. Probably both. Shrugging, I had a look at the pillar. Maybe... Grabbing it by the side, I pushed as hard as I could to make it rest on its side, freeing partially his legs. And that thing was really heavy.

"Move!" I shouted at him.

No without pain, he managed to crawl away just enough for me to drop back the bloc. I really should have done some muscle-building exercises, because I was starting to realize that my colleagues' joke, about me not being able to carry more than six kilos in my arms, was actually true. Panting after this herculean effort, I turned to him.

"So what's your name?"

"Evan Potter." He whispered.

"Right, Evan: I think I should help you get to your medical bay if you've got one on this ship."

He shook his head and extended his hand for me to help him get up.

"I am not sure it is still functional. Maybe it got damaged too."

"Only one way to see. Show me the way."

And that's how I helped him walk in the ship, still in my death trooper's attire, to his med-bay. Fortunately, it hadn't been damaged at all, and we arrived just at the moment where the ship jumped in hyperspace.

Thinking of the moment we got into the med-bay, I am still unsure if I should have laughed frantically or if I should have been worried about the rebels looking at me in such a weird way. They obviously hadn't expected a dark-haired girl dressed as a death trooper to carry a wounded rebel to the med-bay.

"How... How did she..." Stammered one of the medics, echoing all the rebels thoughts.

"She is not an imperial." Flatly answered Evan.

"I stole the armor." I quickly added, seeing where he was going.

"And she hitchhiked."

After that, they had all glared at us for a minute like a bunch of idiots. It is not really that I am impatient, but let's just say that Evan was mostly resting on me, and it was starting to be quite heavy.

"Maybe you could just help him?" I asked, waking up the medics.

They found him a bed and run a couple of scans and exams on his legs, which allowed me to get to know a little their medical system. It was similar to what I had had in my galaxy far, far away. It was not exactly the same either, but on some points, it was a lot more practical than what we had on Earth. I mean, bacta is a pretty cool and universal medicine... I was not allowed to ask questions, so I didn't catch all the things they did to his legs, but that was pretty fast and efficient. He still had two broken bones, but the worst had been averted. The medics even found me spare clothes and, by the time I came back, rid of the armor, they had finished with him.

"So what's your true name?" Evan finally asked me.

"Alexandra Sanchez." He had told me his, so I didn't see any reasons not to answer truthfully.

"That doesn't sound a hundred percent basic. I take it you are not from the core worlds?" He sounded puzzled.

"Not even remotely close. And if it doesn't sound basic, it is because the people from my world speak several languages. And I am... let's say a mix of three of them." It was hard to explain that while refraining from saying Earth, countries, Spain, France and Russia. So I simplified everything.

"So you are a hybrid? I mean, I don't have anything against hybrids! A good friend of mine is one! But it is just that you look so human..."

"I am human," I told him firmly. "I am just a hybrid between, let's say, different clans..."

Or at least I hoped: I didn't want to start metamorphosing the day I would discover what species in this Universe were speaking Russian, French, and Spanish! I had nothing against aliens, I even found them really cool, but it would just be awkward to be a gundark, a togruta and a Mon Calamari at the same time.

"So here's our death trooper..."

I jumped at the familiar voice. Startled, I turned around to find myself in front of Princess Leia. I had never realized before that I was taller than her by a few centimeters. The paradox was that, even if I had to lower my eyes to meet hers, I was the one feeling small. She was royal, had sharp eyes and could have made me cower back in the corner of the room had she not looked at me with anything malice and kindness in her eyes.

"Yes..."I managed to say. "Sorry about that too, your Highness..."

"No harm was done." She dismissed. "Thank you for helping Evan. He doesn't look like it, but he's an important part of our cause."

"I don't doubt it. But, if I may be so bold to ask, what was all that?"

"An imperial attack." Leia shrugged as if it hadn't been important. "Funnily enough, they mistook our ship for a rebels' one that had been running around... If you understand what I mean."

I think I did. So we were before ANH, and Leia had gotten away without having the Empire on her back. For now. That was good to know.

"So," She went on."I hear you got on the ship while trying to get into the Rebellion?"

Yeah, not really, but it was not like I had any other choice. Evan had been kind enough to forget I had talked about a wedding when we first met and found that this was a way better excuse than all the ones I could come up with. So, Rebellion, here I was.

"Yes, your Highness. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience, your Highness."

"It is nothing, really. We will be dropping Evan to one of our bases before carrying on with one of our missions. Do you want to continue with us? Or try to find something to do on the base?"

Well, if this was not ANH, then there was no risk. And, to be honest, I wanted to see space, something I thought I would have never been able to do at least once in my life considering I didn't have the health to get into an astronaut program.

"I'll stay on the ship if it doesn't bother you, your Highness."

"Perfect! We'll find you something to do!"

That's how I found my way through the Rebellion and got a room in Princess Leia's ship. We dropped Evan in a system I didn't know (or at least didn't recognize), and carried on. The only thing I got told was that it was a recovery mission. A few days later, I got woken up by a tremor in the ship. When I reached Princess Leia on the bridge, I found her half worried, half excited.

"What's happening?" I managed to yawn.

"We are chased by an imperial star destroyer." She stated with a matter-of-fact tone. "But we got what we wanted. "

"WHAT?!" I shouted, only registering the first part of the sentence.

Then, my eyes felt on the disk an officer had in hand and I started panicking.

"Which year are we in?" I asked.

Leia looked at me with sudden defiance but still answered: "19 years after the creation of the Empire. Why?"

I then realized I didn't know what baffled me the most: the fact that I had, somehow, slept through Rogue One's events (if they had indeed ever happened), or the fact that we actually were in ANH.

Why hadn't I got off that bloody ship when I had the chance to?


	4. 4- Surviving the Imperial Boarding Party

A/N: Hi! So still not a native English speaker and this still isn't mine. Except for the OCs.

Again, I can't believe people are reading this story. Thanks for the favorite and the follow!

Tenfangirl: Well, thank for reviewing again! I am SO glad you like it! I hope you'll like this chapter as well.

Thrawn is coming at the end of the fifth chapter =)  
Enjoy!

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Chapter 4 - Surviving the Imperial Boarding Party…

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I don't think anyone ever talked about what it was to be on the Tantive IV during the few hours where the Empire chased the rebels and their princess. It was the strangest thing I ever saw. Not even a Jedi or a Sith would have amazed in the way all those rebels did: even the ship itself seemed to be transpiring with Hope.

I wasn't the only one freaking out. I know I wasn't.

I was just the only one showing it.

It is something to choose a side when you are watching a movie, but when you actually witnessed the courage of the rebels, it was entirely something else. They were all walking down the hallways, still smiling, still believing they could manage to escape the star destroyer. Leia was the epicenter of the phenomena: the princess herself was irradiating with hope and confidence. She was inspecting each team working on the ship, making sure they would fight, that they would not lose courage. They never did.

For a while, I followed Leia around. I did not really know what to do: after all, this was probably going to be the end. I knew how this whole thing was going to end, they did not.

I thought it long and hard, asked Leia a few questions: couldn't we delay the mission and do two or three more jumps to hyperspace? Apparently not, as we didn't have enough fuel, and the mission could not be delayed. Of course, at this point, and having seen a few times ANH, I knew I could not use the escape pods: my objective was still to get out alive, thank you very much.

The only plan that could maybe, probably, with a LOT of luck, work was following Leia and hoping that, somehow, her protagonist's luck would rub off on me.

It happened faster than I thought it would: it was subtle but firm. Everything was decided in an abnormal flash of light and the ship's faint shiver. Those were the first signs of the imperial star destroyer activating its tractor beam around our position after hitting and therefore permanently shutting down the main reactor.

And as soon as those signs started to disappear, the shiver changed into something closer to the earthquake, and the alarm rang louder than it had ever done. All the rebel soldiers started to run to the only entrance and way-out of the ship. The only thought that crossed my mind as I watched them running, blasters in hand, through the hallways, was that I was sorry for them and quite happy that Evan had gotten off this ship when he had had the chance to, as he had escaped what these men would not: death.

Breath. I had to breathe. What good would that do if I fainted in the middle of a battle?

I was forced to focus again when Leia dragged me into a dark hallway, not far from the engine room. She didn't look panicked, which I found most impressive in view of the current situation, but looked surprisingly crossed against me.

"I guess now would be a perfect time to be completely honest with each other," She said, her hand resting on the blaster she had secured around her waist. "Are you, or are you not with the Empire?"

The question surprised me. I quickly turned pale.

"No!" I uttered. "I'll swear it to all the divinities you want me to, but I am not from the Empire!"

Leia seemed to think for a second, and then shook her head.

"But you are not from the Rebellion either." She sighed.

"What makes you think I am not?"

"You didn't rush to the door to protect the plans."

"Maybe I just want to live?"

At that point, my dubious tone matched perfectly with the doubtful look on her face. We both knew that was going to be a really hard goal to achieve for every living soul on the ship.

"How can I trust you?" Leia asked, crossing her arms on her chest.

"If I were in your shoes, I would probably hesitate," I said in all honesty. "but I did help Evan Potter when we met on the ship. If I had wanted to get rid of you all and be with the Empire, I would have killed him, don't you think?"

Leia once more shook her head, but then uncrossed her arms and swiftly went after R2D2 and C-3PO. She was going to give R2 the plans. I was going to take that she was trusting me. For now.

"Hurry!" She whispered to the astromech after giving him the precious disc. "And try to get Threepio to go with you, you know what would happen if he felt into the Empire's hands. Be careful."

And with R2's small beep, Leia got up and looked at me with a serious look on her face.

"Now, let's try to be as much trouble as possible for our beloved Emperor. Do you know how to use a blaster?" And when I shook my head, she raised her eyebrows. "You had one when you arrived."

"It was a false one!"

"It was loaded."

Well, damn it! Had I known, I would have probably unloaded it (I DID like Sherlock Holmes, but wasn't crazy enough to imitate the time where he confronted Moriarty with a loaded gun in his dressing-gown!), or learned how to fire it. I knew I had switched universes, but a toy changing itself into a real weapon was a bit too far fetched, even for me.

"Right, you're right, I am wrong, you're the princess, I am not, but that doesn't change the fact that I don't know how to use a blaster, and that the last time I tried at a funfair I didn't even win a single ticket."

The look she gave me was a clear "And of what use are you, then ?", and she turned around to take a corridor. But then I remembered the movies and realized Leia was not going that way in them. So I pushed her on the side, just in time for her to avoid a blaster bolt. She looked at me with surprised.

"Maybe I can still be useful," I said. "Now, if you don't mind, before we can go and get ourselves captured, I'd like to know if you have any ideas on how I could stay alive for at least a couple of hours? I don't mean to be a burden, but you are a princess with intel, I am not. They won't kill you right now, they won't hesitate with me."

Leia seemed to think for a moment, as we were walking closer to the engine room, the only place that the Imperials hadn't taken yet.

"You are not native from the Core Worlds, are you?" She asked. "My guess would even be that basic isn't your mother-language."

"Not even remotely." I agreed. Usually, I would have been crossed, had anyone told me that I still had, somehow, a French accent while speaking English, but right now, if it could save my life, I was not going to complain.

"Stay close to me. They'll capture us together. You are not dressed as a typical rebel either: they'll maybe take you for someone related to my work in the Senate. Then just speak in your mother-language. If you are fortunate enough, they won't have any translator on board and that will buy you time."

Yes, that could work! If I was lucky enough, maybe I would even be able to get enough time so that when Luck and Han would get on the Death Star I would escape with them.

"What's your mother-language anyway?" Leia whispered as we quietly waited for the stormtroopers to arrive.

"_I don't know,_" I said in French, hoping that she would understand me and tell me what language I was speaking. But then, her eyes widened and she quickly turned her head around to look at me, eyebrows up. "Well, your life expectancy as just greatly increased: I have never heard that language before. And I worked at the Imperial Senate!"

She wanted to add something but the troopers started to arrive. Swiftly, Leia shifted her position and readied her blaster. She fired, touching the first one, just as she had done in the movie. But then, she tried to run and got stunned by one of the blasters. I tried to jump and catch Leia's, but another stun bolt hit me.

"Tell Lord Vader we have two prisoners."

When I started to feel better, I realized I was being carried by two troopers. Even if being dragged behind Leia was a more faithful transcription of the events. I couldn't help but moaning softly when I felt how much my arms were aching. I would have preferred to walk, thank you very much. At least, I wasn't wearing handcuffs... For now.

It felt like they dragged me for ages. The ship seemed way bigger from that perspective.

Leia quickly glanced at me. She looked quite worried as if she cared. I didn't believe she did, as we had met only three standard days before. That must have been acting.

But then, It had become quite hard for me to think as the stun bolt had triggered a migraine. Yes, I was also part of the migraine community thanks to my bad genetics. And whenever I triggered one, it hurt so much that I would get to a point where the process of thinking itself would start to be painful. So I just let them drag me and tried not to overthink all that was happening to me.

"Darth Vader!" I heard Leia exclaim. "Only you could be so bold. The Imperial Senate..."

"Enough, don't act surprised, Your Highness." He cut her. Well, that was surprising, I was pretty sure Leia had more text than that. "You weren't on any mercy missions this time. Several transmissions were beamed to this ship by rebel spies. I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you."

I didn't have the nerves to look up, so I just assumed that, like in the movies, Leia looked at Vader like he was some idiot that didn't understand basic.

"I don't know what you are talking about. I am a member of the Imperial Senate on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan. And it would not be the first time this week the Empire mistakes my ship for some smuggler's one."

But that wasn't what Vader wanted to hear. Wait, didn't Leia add a line there? But I didn't try to understand all that happened as Vader decided to make my head suffer even more by roaring:

"You are part of the Rebellion and a traitor! Take her away!"

I thought the "her" meant Leia and I. But then, Vader, unfortunately for me, did know how to speak basic and he obviously hadn't mistaken "them" for "her".

"And, now, what do we have here?" He asked in a curious tone that made me shiver. "Oddly enough, you do not look like the typical rebel, but were close enough to the princess when she was captured..."

Leia heard everything, and turned around shouting:

"Leave her alone, Vader! She doesn't even understand you!"

But her remark was only met by a chuckle from the Dark Lord.

"Well, that's interesting. The princess seems to care for you. How touching. But not because she likes you or has a particular affection for you... Why then? Probably because you know things... Show me."

The troopers let me go without warning, and I felt to the ground, unable to move. That must have been a second effect of the stun bolt. And of course, it had to happen to me. But I didn't have time to complain more as an invisible hand got hold of my throat, lifting me again in the air. I had watched the movies. I knew that it was better not to fight against Vader, but couldn't help mobilizing my meager forces against him.

I didn't know what Leia thought she would achieve like that and wasn't even able to think about it. But I knew she had made a big mistake: after all, I knew everything that would happen in the next decades... So when Vader's second invisible hand went over my mind, trying to see through my memories, I tried not to think about anything, and cried in French:

_"Leave me alone!"_

Oddly, that made him stop. He was still holding me in the air thanks to the Force but had stopped trying to get through my mind. His mask bent down to look me in the eyes.

"It has been a while since I last heard that language. I would even say a few decades..."

I felt my blood coursing through my veins. If Vader was the only one understanding French, I wasn't going to survive for very long. It would have been better to die during the battle, with the other rebels.

"_I am pretty sure you understand this language too._" He said, in another language. "_The ones who speak your mother-language always speak Sy-Bisti._"

It took me a while to understand what he had said. Of course, Sy-Bisti had to be a language I knew. But, really, Russian? I had never thought about that. What were the odds? And if Sy-Bisti was Russian, then what in the world was French?

Fortunately, my migraine had tired me a lot, and I didn't really have an exterior reaction to Vader speaking to me. I looked lost, which he took for me not understanding him. And maybe he couldn't read the mind of people with migraines too.

"Well, that's a shame, "Vader said, switching back to basic. "You look valuable. But then, I am fortunate enough to know the only person in our Empire that speaks your language. It would have been a pleasure to extract the intel from you myself... But I am sure he will enjoy the challenge of a rebel sympathizer. After all, without challenges, my dear friend gets bored..."

I was feeling too bad to really understand what he was talking about. I just heard Leia's faint and distant sigh of horror. Clenching my teeth, I just managed to look at Vader and give him a daring look. I am not really sure why I did that, but that wasn't the best move: I felt the hand squeezing my throat and, before I even had the time to cough, it threw me away, making my head hit the wall.

As everything went black, I just thought that I would be lucky if I survived the Death Star.


End file.
